Here at Belfast and Lisburn Women’s Aid, we have a wide variety of staff who work across our teams in various job roles. Each woman who works with us contributes invaluably to the organisation, enabling us to provide support and guidance to women, children and young people when they need us most.
With our ‘Day in the Life’ blog series, we aim to shine a light on the many different roles within our organisation in order to celebrate the excellence of our team and give you, the reader, a little insight into our everyday work.
So without further ado, here’s a day in the life of one of our Young Person’s Workers…
Firstly, tell us how long you’ve been in your role as a Young Person’s Worker?
I’ve been in my role for just over 15 years.
And what did you do before you came to work in Belfast & Lisburn Women’s Aid?
I was studying at university.
So what made you want to come and work for Women’s Aid?
My mum worked in Women’s Aid in Coleraine and I grew up knowing about the work she did. I did my dissertation at university on domestic violence and from there knew I would like to be involved in the work.
And what might a typical day at work look like for you?
I spend the majority of my time going into schools. I go from school to school during the day providing emotional support to teenagers who have lived with domestic abuse. Between appointments I will be liaising with teachers, mummies, social workers etc on any updates which may be important to know.
I prepare for each appointment and tailor it on the back of the last one we will have had. I spend most afternoons post-school time updating the young person’s records on our case management system and organising further sessions. There is flexibility in this role to develop our own sessions depending on individual need.
I deliver a personal development group on a Monday evening and there is preparation around programme preparation which goes into this. I cover the Belfast and South Eastern areas, and so spend some time travelling too. Sometimes I deliver Healthy Relationships sessions and workshops in schools which involves awareness raising of dating abuse.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love the emotional support in schools. There is great job satisfaction which comes from this part of the job!
What would you say to someone who is interested in working in a similar role to yours?
To make the work as informal and relaxed with the teenager as possible. Having a relaxed environment and personal approach is key to forming strong relationships which lead to the best outcomes.
Stay tuned for more in our ‘Day in the Life’ blog series in the coming months!
Here at Belfast & Lisburn Women’s Aid, we’re often looking for enthusiastic and passionate women to join our team. For more information and current vacancies click here.
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